Identifying Managers’ Mental Models Regarding Racial Similarity in Organizational Appointments Using the Q Approach

Deceleration of economic growth and actual economic stagnation necessitates an analysis and explanation of this situation and search of its external and inner organizational reasons. One of the causes for economic slowdown lies in the fact that most of the superior positions are occupied by unqualified people only because of racial similarities. The present research was done with the purpose of identification of public managers’ mindset in regard to racial similar- to- me effect in the context of organizational appointments using Q methodology. This research is practical in its objective, methodologically descriptive, and in regard to data collection and analysis an exploratory mixed (quantitative/ qualitative) one .The statistical population was the whole public managers in Ilam city public organizations. The sampling was done with judgmental purposive methodology and data collection tools were semistructured interview and Q tables. The qualitative part was prepared through semi-structured interviews with 10 public managers and a thematic analysis for gathering a discourse space of 106 subjects and ultimately a sampling of 41narratives. In the quantitative part, with completion of 10 Q tables and causal analysis of obtained data, the individuals’ mindset in every group was identified and explored. Finally, based on Q factor analysis results, four mental patterns (monopolism, narcissism, metathesiophobia and epistemophobia) were determined in regard to similar- to- me effect in organizational appointment among senior managers of Ilam public organizations. Monopolism was found to be the dominant pattern due to higher number of participants and their dominant position.